Help - what kind of bedding in chicken run?

[SDOH]

We made it through the brooder stage and now my 5 six-week old hens are ready to leave my basement. In fairness, they probably could've gone to the coop sooner, but we did not have the starter coop set up. They have spent the past two days outside but we've brought them back into the basement overnight because 1) one night was very warm and via the camera we could see all 5 huddled in the corner and two panting, and 2) we had thunderstorms last night and my husband wanted to bring them inside. The latter was likely more because he did not want to collect them in the middle of the rain/night. After storms last night, the Healthy Straw litter in the run is soaking wet and so they are back in the house. I am at a loss for what to do until the straw dries????? Also, it occurred to me that we have a lot of rain in Virginia so this will be a common occurrance. Perhaps I should switch to sand or another type of bedding? Any advice would be greatly appreciated. I adore the chick(ens) but they are too big and smelly to continue to bring inside. Please advise....

 

[nuthatched]

Plain old dirt, or fresh wood chips from a tree company.

 

[DobieLover]

5 six-week old hens

Pullets. Semantics matter when it comes to this.

starter coop set up

Uh oh. Does this starter coop offer a minimum of 20 sq ft of space inside the coop which is NOT including the nest box space?
Do you have at least 75 sq ft of space in the run? Those are the HIGHLY recommended minimums for a very good reason.
How much ventilation is in the coop? They need A LOT. You need to think in terms of square FEET not, square inches.

straw dries?????

And this is why it should not be used outside of the coop.
I like wood chips. If your local highway departments collect curbside branches, you may be able to get free chipped and/or shredded wood. I get it by the truckload whenever needed.
I use about 4" of wood chips in my run. The run has a solid pitched roof over it and the ground is sloped away from the base all the way around, but rain still blows in on the sides. The run has never been waterlogged.

 

[SDOH]

Pullets. Semantics matter when it comes to this.

Uh oh. Does this starter coop offer a minimum of 20 sq ft of space inside the coop which is NOT including the nest box space?
Do you have at least 75 sq ft of space in the run? Those are the HIGHLY recommended minimums for a very good reason.
How much ventilation is in the coop? They need A LOT. You need to think in terms of square FEET not, square inches.

And this is why it should not be used outside of the coop.
I like wood chips. If your local highway departments collect curbside branches, you may be able to get free chipped and/or shredded wood. I get it by the truckload whenever needed.
I use about 4" of wood chips in my run. The run has a solid pitched roof over it and the ground is sloped away from the base all the way around, but rain still blows in on the sides. The run has never been waterlogged.

Thank you for your response and correction of my use of the word "hens." Multitasking is not my strength.

The starter coop is listed below. We adapted it and added two more windows that, when opened, have 1/2 in hardware cloth. I will not address nest boxes as they will not be in this coop when mature.
https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/p...MI9JWrovGejgMVWpfuAR1pUQS1EAAYASAAEgLjW_D_BwE

The permanent coop has arrived and will be installed within the next 2-3 weeks. We purchased the 6x18 and have included an additional 6x12 run.
https://carolinacoops.com/products/american-coop?variant=50028422594838

We purchased the starter coop because we were having a retaining wall built and needed a temporary structure. I am confident that the new coop is more than enough to accomodate 5 standard hens (term is intentional). Thank you for sharing information and your experiences. I live in an incredibly wet climate with red clay soil. Your point about drainage is important. Unfortunately, even with the best drainage, the soil retains water/moisture for a very long time.

 

[SDOH]

Pullets. Semantics matter when it comes to this.

Uh oh. Does this starter coop offer a minimum of 20 sq ft of space inside the coop which is NOT including the nest box space?
Do you have at least 75 sq ft of space in the run? Those are the HIGHLY recommended minimums for a very good reason.
How much ventilation is in the coop? They need A LOT. You need to think in terms of square FEET not, square inches.

And this is why it should not be used outside of the coop.
I like wood chips. If your local highway departments collect curbside branches, you may be able to get free chipped and/or shredded wood. I get it by the truckload whenever needed.
I use about 4" of wood chips in my run. The run has a solid pitched roof over it and the ground is sloped away from the base all the way around, but rain still blows in on the sides. The run has never been waterlogged.

In response to your point about straw, we followed the advice of the permanent coop builder. I am fine with this decision and learning from mistakes. I will continue to explore options suitable for our climate and terrain.

 

[DobieLover]

Unfortunately, even with the best drainage, the soil retains water/moisture for a very long time.

With a good thick layer of wood chips, the soil underneath being damp becomes a moot point because they're staying on top of the wood chips. Any spots that they scratch down and expose the soil is not going to be an issue because it's only damp, not wet.

I don't have red clay soil here but I do have dense hardpan clay. It takes a long time for it to drain. As long as everything is pitched away from your run and the run is the highest point you should be okay.

Nice coop by the way.